HARP
Christian
Counseling
Staff
Lora Williams, LCSW, Christian Counselor, Practice Owner
Lora is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 26 years of social work and counseling experience. As the founder and owner of HARP Christian Counseling, she has an undying passion to help others experience the joy in life that God intended. She founded HARP out of a vision to serve others by offering Christian counseling using evidence based clinical treatment methods integrated with a Biblical perspective and devotion to Christian values and beliefs.Lora has worked with many individuals and families over the last 26 years and has successfully assisted clients facing all types of crises and challenges including depression, anxiety, divorce, parenting issues, marital distress, substance abuse and dependence, domestic violence, mood and thought disorders, PTSD, traumatic life events, adjustment disorders, developmental disorders, grief and bereavement, and end of life issues. Lora is qualified to provide services to individuals of all age groups. She is known to have tremendous compassion for her clients and makes them feel comfortable by relating to them in a relaxed manner. She has a keen gift for identifying the underlying issues and helping clients find practical solutions to their problems. As part of the assessment process Lora may utilize any number of well-known assessment tools to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the client. With children, Lora may utilize play therapy in order to facilitate communication between the child and the therapist.Lora graduated with honors from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Psychology in 1989. From her graduating class of 1989 at ASU she was chosen as the Outstanding Student in the Psychology Department. Lora attended Southwestern Theological Seminary for a time and then later graduated with a Master's of Science in Social Work in 1993 from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is qualified to provide individual, family, and marriage counseling, and she enjoys working with school aged children, adolescents, and adults.As a Christian counselor who values the application of Biblical truths and principles to the therapeutic process, clients who receive counseling services from Lora can expect to have faith incorporated as an integral part of their therapy. When appropriate and welcomed by the client, Lora will utilize prayer or application of scripture during therapy sessions. Lora believes that each therapy session can be a tool to create a safe atmosphere for the client to experience the love of God. Pain and brokenness can often make it difficult to know God's love, but within the supportive atmosphere of therapy, Lora believes that individuals can begin to experience the depth of God's love for the them and gain a better understanding of their worth and value within that relationship.Lora's counseling style focuses upon developing an in-depth understanding of the person and their existing supports, their struggles in the current moment, and their experience of God in their life. With her clients she will seek to quickly establish a meaningful and genuine working relationship based on warmth, understanding, and compassion. She also seeks an openness to the work of the Holy Spirit during the process of counseling. Lora's strong clinical skills, Biblical focus, and extensive experience as a clinical social worker bring a wholistic approach to counseling that allows for comprehensive healing within the body, soul, and spirit. From a clinical perspective, Lora utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy treatment approaches, finding that CBT as a treatment modality aligns with Biblical thought, teaching us to make changes in thinking patterns for more healthy coping. This is consistent with the Biblical admonition to take our thoughts captive for Christ.Prior to founding HARP Christian Counseling, Lora worked in various counseling and social work roles with various ages and various populations including working for many years with a group of 24 churches in Fort Worth, Texas as the Director of Christian Social Ministries. This outreach provided tremendous support to that local community and the provision of Christian counseling offered alongside practical assistance became a large part of the success and growth of this ministry. Lora has been happily married to her first and only love, Steve, since 1988. Together they have two grown children. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and friends, bike riding and trail blazing with her husband and young adult children, participating in the intercessory prayer ministry at her church, snuggling with her three dogs, getting dirty in the creek in her backyard, and working in her flower gardens. Lora is often accompanied to work by her therapy dogs in training, Murphy and Harper. Murphy is a Cavapoo and Harper is a Bichapoo. Lora affectionaly calls them "the boys", and she loves how they unconditionally offer snuggles and follow her like a shadow.
Tiffany Preciado, LCMHCA, Christian Counselor
Tiffany graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychlogy and from Spring Arbor University with a Master's Degree in Counseling. Tiffany has provided counseling services for children, adolescents, and adults struggling with depression, an unhealthy self-concept, anxiety, life transitions, grief, maternal mental health, emotional uncertainty, and relational issues. She understands and appreciates the significance and value of having someone come alongside others in times of need. Tiffany enjoys working with teens and women of all ages. She desires to help people live a healthy and fulfilling life despite the challenges that they may be facing at various stages in life. As a therapist, she considers that thoughts affect feelings and behavior, and enjoys assisting clients as they implement and apply 2 Corinthians 10:5 that states that we should "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Utilizing the framework of scripture and CBT principles, Tiffany will assist clients in reframing maladaptive thought patterns to help produce more healthy and beneficial feelings and behaviors. Tiffany also helps clients in identifying and implementing effective coping skills and achieving personal goals. During her career as a therapist, she has worked in private practice, community mental health settings, and school-based settings. As a Christian counselor, Tiffany views individuals and the world through the lens of scripture. She believes that "all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16), and during the process of counseling Tiffany may incoporate and highlight scriputure for clients, supporting clients in applying these thruths to their life. Another favorite scripture for Tiffany is 2 Peter 1:3 that says "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3), and through appication of this scripture she supports clients in having the hope that in Christ they are given the resources to over come and walk through often time very overwhelming and difficult struggles. She is passionate about helping people live a fruitful life that brings glory to the Lord. While she ventures to incorporate the Christian worldview, Biblical concepts, and evidence based clinical practices, in order to provide the highest quality therapy services, she is mindful and respectful of each persons unique experience with faith, and she realizes that some come to counseling, even Christian counseling, not yet understanding or accepting God's love for them. She utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques based on each client's individual needs, strengths, and preferences. Tiffany is warm, compassionate, approachable, thoughtful, and encouraging in her relational style. She seeks to provide an environment for clients to feel comfortable and to truly be themselves in the therapeutic relationship. Her counseling style encourages clients to be open and honest, not only with her but with themselves. Her calm demeanor helps ground clients in the moment, allowing clients to talk freely about their concerns without distractions. Tiffany is married with three sons and a goldendoodle. She enjoys being with her family and friends, camping, traveling, cooking, and serving in her local church.
Bianca Almeida Coles, LCSWA, Christian Counselor
Bianca graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. A year later she went on to pursue her Masters in Social Work at New York University. The therapeutic modalities in which Bianca has expertise are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She worked most recently with the adult population in community mental health with an array of mental health disorders that included schizophrenia, anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, PTSD, personality disorders, adjustment disorders, among other disorders. She has also worked with children and adolescents in other settings. Bianca values the authority of the scripture in her life. She truly believes that God has a calling and purpose for each person, standing firmly on Philippians 4:13 which says that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” She believes that living by the fruits of the spirit is essential to living a fulfilling life and wants to help others do the same. As such, Bianca incorporates Biblical principles into her sessions, as well as prayer and mindfulness activities. As a therapist, Bianca focuses on meeting clients where they are with gentleness. She is able to build great rapport with her clients by providing a safe and comfortable environment for each person that she is working with. Bianca understands that seeking guidance is not always easy, and realizes that coming to therapy, particularly for the first time, may be difficult. Her calm demeanor, gentle nature, and unassuming approach will make her clients comfortalbe from the first moment they meet her. Bianca is eager to continue her work in this field as a Chritian counselor, bringing light to others who may be living in very dark seasons of their lives, and empowering them to live their lives to the fullest through the process of therapy. Bianca is happily married and enjoys spending time with her husband, attending church on Sundays, hiking, trying new restaurants, spending time with family and friends, and traveling to different places.
Garry Kiker, LCMHC, Christian Counselor
Garry Kiker, LCMHC, is a referral affiliate of HARP Chistian Counseling, Inc. HARP Christian Counseling will refer to Garry those seeking marriage therapy as well as adult men seeking counseling. Garry does not accept insurance. Garry has been working with couples, families, and individuals for 33 years. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina. Garry most often works with married couples. He is passionate about helping couples heal and has had extensive training. He is guided by his faith and the importance of Biblical truth as the authority in treating psychological and relationship issues as well as the importance of competency in effective psychological methods for treatment. God created us to be in relationship with others. In the garden of Eden God said it was good, good, and very good. Then He said something was not good..."it's not good for man to be alone." In a perfect environment, Adam needed relationship. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely; setting time aside for ourselves and feeling isolated. In prison, if they want to punish someone, they isolate them. Isolation is traumatizing. And yet in our most important relationships, we often feel disconnected, lonely, isolated. Garry provides therapy that facilitates relationships which can sustain connection even in the midst of hardship, disagreement, and offense. Many men are afraid of being blamed for the problems if they go to counseling. Garry's goal is not to assign blame but to understand what happens when a couple's attempts to get their needs met in the relationship fail. He sees the relationship as the client. The outcome of therapy is that couples overcome their self-defeating cycles of communication and enter into conversations which support healing and connection. He addresses specific family issues such as parenting, blended families, financial budgeting, and complications with extended families. In addition, he has extensive experience working with teenagers and adults who are struggling with issues of anger, anxiety, trauma, and depression. His focus is on processes of healing through a solidly Biblical model of forgiving others and grieving loss. Garry graduated in 1975 from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He then worked for Campus Crusade for Christ at The University of Georgia for 6 years where he met and married Sandra. In 1980, they moved to Houston and he worked as a salesman for a small oilfield services company. After working his way through graduate school at Texas A&M, he worked for 10 years with a company called RAPHA which provided inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse programs from a Christian perspective. While working with RAPHA, Garry had numerous responsibilities including conducting individual therapy and case management, marital therapy, family therapy, family therapy weekends, multifamily groups, intensive outpatient groups, and was program director for an adolescent hospital program in Chicago. In 1990, he began a part-time private practice which grew until for the last 25 years he has been in full-time outpatient private practice. In January 2023, Garry and Sandra moved to Raleigh, NC to be close to their grandchildren. Garry is also an Adjunct Professor at Grace School of Theology, a seminary in The Woodlands, TX. He teaches classes on Christian Counseling and Conflict Resolution.
